Tremble
by Zaneytwilightgirl
Summary: Bella is kidnapped by long-believed extinct incubi while in Canada with Charlie. The Cullens go to rescue her, but without Alice's visions and facing dangerous opponents, Edward races to reach her in time before they hurt her ... or she succumbs.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Edward, I have to go. Charlie really wants to go on this retreat and it's a graduation present." Bella tried to tug on his hand teasingly, but he remained resolute. "It'll be _fine_."

Edward stared stonily at her as she tried to persuade him.

"I don't like it."

"I know you don't like it," she laughed, "but there are some things I'm going to do that you won't like and this will just have to be one of them."

"I won't let you go alone." His mouth flattened and she could see how crazy it was making him, just thinking about it.

"I won't be alone." Sliding onto his lap, she snuggled into his unforgiving body. Today it was unforgiving in more ways than one. "Charlie will be there. He knows how to use a gun."

Edward snorted and leaned forward to inhale her hair, then pressing a kiss on the crown of her head. "Forgive me if I'm not reassured by the presence of fire arms with your track record. And I'm not only worried about things that can be stopped with a gun."

Bella rolled her eyes against his chest, her voice muffled. "You'll just have to trust me, I'm going to be okay and it'll be great. You have to _trust_ me."

She knew he would have simply followed her there in an instant, but there had been an incident with a rogue vampire in northern California. And even though it was well outside Cullen family "territory," Carlisle wanted to check it out. And Edward had promised Esme he would go to have everyone's back. She and Rosalie were staying behind to hold down the fort.

And she knew that Edward would never have made that promise if he had thought he couldn't convince Bella to stay too. Alice had known though. She held back a grin. Alice ALWAYS knew. And everything would be fine—Alice had already looked ahead.

"Bella." Edward pulled back so he could look into her eyes. "I _do_ trust you. More than my own life. But I also know that there are a million—a hundred million things that could harm you." The urgency and desperation—the fear in his voice sent chills through her. "And when I think of each and every one of those things happening to you, it's like my world stops spinning and falls away. I _can't_ lose you." His arms tightened around her automatically. And you would be helpless." He was truly desperate now. "If you only knew how _fragile_ your life was. . ."

She put one hand on each side of his face and looked him squarely in the eyes. His nearly black eyes were racing across the planes of her face. Darting, desperate. She sighed mentally. If he would change her now, this wouldn't be a problem ….

"What? What are you thinking?" He asked softly.

"Nothing," Bella murmured, knowing it would just increase their fight for the day. "Just how much I love you and how I won't let anything stop me from coming home to you." She kissed him then, pressing her lips to his an reveling in his gentle, gliding mouth. The shivers erupted in the lower pit of her stomach and she pressed against him.

Hearing a car horn blare, she pulled away reluctantly. Charlie was ready to go. She was surprised at how much time he'd given her.

"Home," he whispered with a miraculous expression. She thought it was happy.

"You are my home," she traced down the side of his face and then jumped off of his lap, nearly running into the kitchen table in the process.

"I'm fine," she warned him as he opened his mouth.

He seemed to give in finally and picked up her duffel bag and she grabbed her coat, slipping it on.

He walked her out to Charlie waiting in the car. He set the bag in the back and opened the door for her. He closed it gently and she rolled down the window.

"Good-bye, I'll call you."

Edward looked like he wanted to say more, but then his eyes shifted to Charlie.

"Don't take any risks," he cautioned, still anxious.

"It'll be fun," Bella turned her smile on him and he backed away reluctantly.

"We'll be fine, son," Charlie assured him with an impatient sigh.

Bella rolled up the window, watching Edward's concerned featured blurring as they pulled away.

Charlie scoffed and turned on the radio. "That boy worries too much if you ask me. After all, what can happen in Canada?"

**A/N:** Hey, thanks for stopping by, hope you liked the chapter, there will be more to come. Reviews are highly encouraged, they definitely motivate me in lots of good ways, so feel free to leave a comment telling me what you thought! Thanks for reading!

R


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Bella watched as the woods flashed by in a dark green blur. They had driven into the Canadian wilderness to visit her Uncle Jason. Bella couldn't remember much about him other than a lot of loud boisterous laughter and crazy hats.

"We're here, Bells." Charlie pointed to a cabin she could spot through a clearing. They turned off the main road.

The cabin was rough looking, but large and she could see a smaller wooden shed behind it. A tall man with dark hair was standing on the porch. As Charlie put the car in park, the man jumped off of the porch and jogged over to the car. Bella got out and grabbed her duffel while he and Charlie shook hands. She rounded the car and waved awkwardly.

"Hey Uncle Jason."

"It's Uncle Jace to you BB," Jason grinned and pulled her into a tight hug. She couldn't help but hug him back.

But … BB?

At her look, he laughed. "You don't remember that? Well B—Bella then," he corrected himself, "you used to call yourself BB. Used to be very proud of that name."

Bella felt her face flushing. No wonder those memories were blocked. "Well, it's good to see you again."

Jace helped them into the cabin and it was beautifully decorated—a little rustic—but the warm colors reminded her of Jacob's house on the reservation. Tapestries covered the walls and the furniture was a rich brown color. There was even an enormous fireplace in the living.

"This place is _wonderful_," Bella murmured, taking it all in. It even smelled of fresh pine.

Uncle Jace smiled in pleasure and shrugged. "It's home."

He showed her to her room and he and Charlie went to make coffee while they caught up. It was hard for them to live in different time zones and be so far away.

Later that night at dinner, Jace took a drink of water and looked at Bella. "So, got any boyfriends? If I recall correctly, you were not too fond of the boys back when I saw you last."

Bella immediately thought of Edward and sighed, thinking he was probably going crazy. She should call him. She had texted him to tell him she'd arrived, but knowing him, he would want to hear her voice.

"Actually," she pushed her fork, making her peas dance. Unlike Charlie, Jace was a pretty good cook. He probably had to be living alone. "Yes, his name's Edward."

Jace laughed. "Edward? Sounds kind of old-timey to me."

Bella withheld her grin. If he only knew.

Charlie looked at Jace. "Don't even get me _started_ on that boy."

"Dad," Bella tried to warn him.

Jace took in the interplay with dancing eyes. "That's right dad, as long as he's a good kid, you're gonna have to let her grow up sometime." He turned to Bella. "_Is_ he a good kid?"

"He's great," Bella assured him.

"Hmmph." Charlie returned to his mashed potatoes.

"So," Jace leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. "I never get to be the uncle. What's this kid like? Does he deserve to be your boyfriend?"

Bella tried to keep a straight face between Charlie's growing grumpiness and Jace's continual reference to Edward as a kid.

"He's really smart, all A's in school. He's graduated like me. He got into Harvard you know," she dangled, trying fruitlessly to get Charlie to come around.

"What about sports?"

"Kid plays a lot of baseball. Whole family plays in the damndest weather," Charlie shook his head. "Big fans."

Bella choked on her tea. It was technically true.

"He is great though," Bella pulled the conversation back. "In fact," she pushed away from the table and took her plate over to the cavernous sink and saw the fading light. "I think I might make a call to him real quick before it gets any darker out."

Walking to get her tiny silver phone, she heard the conversation continuing.

"She goes outside to talk to her boyfriend?" Jace asked Charlie.

She heard a snort from her dad and then, "Yeah, they're all secretive. Like I don't know what they're up to. She's a big kid now, though. Graduated high school—can't believe it. And the kid does make her happy. So I'm just letting it be. I want her to be happy you know …"

She reached her room upstairs and grabbed the phone and her parka, slipping it on as she tripped down the stairs.

Going out the door she heard them still talking and paused.

"You did do a great job though, Charlie. Seriously." Jace's voice was sincere.

"Well, uh, you know it's mostly Renee who did that, but I won't argue with you there, I couldn't have asked for more than Bella."

Bella smiled to herself and choked back a couple of tears. She never wanted to leave Charlie, but she couldn't stay with him forever.

"So how has Renee been ….?"

Bella slipped out the door, not wanting to hear the rest of the conversation. It was private.

Flipping open her phone and shivering against the cold, she pressed speed dial number one and waited. One ring later she heard his velvety voice through the static and when she shivered it wasn't from the cold.

"Bella?"

"Hey, I just wanted to say hi before it got too late."

"It's early here in California," he reminded her. She smiled into the phone.

"How's it been going?" She frowned as the static overwhelmed the phone. She could hear his garbled voice.

"Edward?"

Moving off the porch towards the edge of the cleared lawn, he came a little more into focus. "Edward are you there?"

"Bel—la?" She could hear his frustration.

"Edward, I moved away some to get service, but I might have to just text you."

His voice then came back in clearly. "What are you doing? Are you outside?"

Bella heard a tree branch snap and looked around. Nothing was there.

"Yeah, I had to get a little away from the house to get service."

Edward's frantic voice burst through the phone. "Bella, don't leave the house alone. It should be getting dark there already. I don't want you outside in the dark."

Normally, Bella would brush off his concerns, but she was starting to feel paranoid like someone was watching her. She edged closer to the house, but the static returned so she froze. The static died away and Edward came back.

Another snap sounded and she turned around frantically. Nothing was there. In fact, she couldn't hear anything either. Not even the birds. Nothing.

Something wasn't right.

Her chest starting to feel tight, she clutched the phone in a death grip. All humor was gone.

"Bella?"

"Edward, I'm a little freaked out, actually." Her voice came out in a whisper. The wind brushed her face.

"Bella," she could hear him saying something to Carlisle and then trying to remain calm, his voice focused back on her. "Bella, I want you to go back to the house okay. Stay with Charlie and _don't leave the house_. I'm coming to be with you. It's going to be alright."

She heard something slithering through the branches and tried to inch away, but she didn't want to lose Edward's voice. It felt like the only thing protecting her right now.

"Edward …" her voice reached a high pitch of fear.

"Damn it!" She could hear him cursing under his breath and talking to someone—Emmett she thought. "Bella, just get back to the house, okay? I'll be there soon."

"I'll lose you in the static," her voice was barely a breath as her eyes scanned the tree line frantically.

"Bella? Bella? It doesn't matter just _go back to the house_."

Her legs felt frozen, but she forced them out of the paralysis as she lunged backward and started racing for the porch. She could hear something behind her and just as she reached the first step of the porch, her boot slipped and she screamed as her head cracked down on a corner of a step.

Dazed, she could hear commotion from inside the cabin, worried words. Her name she thought.

A dark shape slid into view and her head was exploding. She couldn't even shy away as it picked her up and started walking away. Her cell phone was still in her grasp, she realized, when she heard Edward's panicked voice calling her name.

She couldn't speak, a whimper escaped of pain. They were in the trees now. Her head kept reeling from each new explosion of pain and she felt hot liquid trickling over her forehead. Black spots danced and she could swear she heard a hiss. Then, darkness.

**A/N:** Hey, thanks for stopping by, hope you liked the chapter, there will be more to come. Reviews are highly encouraged, they definitely motivate me in lots of good ways, so feel free to leave a comment telling me what you thought! I loved getting your feedback last time :) Thanks for reading!

R


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Bella was spinning. Raising her head in the darkness it took her a second to realize it was her head spinning, not her body. Her stomach took a sickening lurch. It flipped and dove like a tiny sailboat in a tsunami. She put her head back down and groaned in pain/pleasure as some of the sickness receded slightly.

Where was she? She remembered falling, and being carried. Had Edward come for her? No, she frowned. That didn't make sense, he wouldn't have had time to reach her. Charlie then?

She felt the ground she was laying on. Small sharp pebbles rustled underneath her fingers along with hardened dirt. No grass. Was it night?

Another groan escaped her.

A hiss caused her to jerk upright, head swimming. She scrambled in the dark until her back hit a wall. It felt like she was in a tunnel, a cave maybe.

"Is there anyone there?" She called out harshly, trying to angrily push back the sickness. She didn't need to be weak right now.

"Yesss, s'and no." The voice slithered through the darkness and her body recoiled.

"Are you going to hurt me?" Her voice trembled and she tried to stand but was forced to sink back down.

"Ssome would," the voice conceded.

"And you?" The words faintly echoed.

"Perhapss." The pause was just as frightening as the response.

"Why? Why did you take me, who are you?" She asked, becoming breathless in her exertion to push herself up again.

Sinking back down in failure, she felt the sticky hardness of her hair. Blood. She hoped they weren't vampires. But if they were, shouldn't she be dead right now?

"Nicolai, Sssumeir would like to sspeak with you." An oily slick voice to her right caused her to panic. It was a different voice. There was more than one. Her breath panted. The voice hesitated and then added, "Ssshe isss here?" The voice sounded in anticipation. A match was struck and a dim light all but blinded her sensitive eyes and pounding head.

"Yess," Nicolai's answer sounded slightly resigned.

"I will ssstay with the girl." The words wrapped and curled around her ears like a hiss, even the harsher sounds were silken and smooth. It scared her. Every hair on her body was standing on end.

Her eyes adjusted further as the match light was put into a lantern and flared to life. They were definitely in a cavern. Then she saw him. He was standing on the opposite side of the tunnel, leaning negligently against the wall. Arms folded, his body was almost a shadow as the light flickered and melded with his dark features. He looked like a fallen angel. Where Edward looked strong and good and pure, this being was shadowy and obscure. His dark hair falling into his eyes and he had lithe features. He wore dark clothing and his features were cloaked in the same darkness. Maybe it was just the way the light refused to stay still, but he appeared almost effervescent.

Making her way up to his eyes, she realized they were ice blue and staring speculatively back at her. She gasped and backed further into the wall. That stare … it was molten hot. The pit in her stomach dropped wobbily. She wasn't attracted to him, but that look aroused her every instinct. What was he?

"Nicolai, Sssumeir," The voice reminded.

Bella turned to her right and saw a similar featured man. His hair was longer and reached his shoulders, and he had darker blue eyes, but the build, the shadowy essence, the lean features. It was the same.

She turned as Nicolai pushed off the wall insolently and smiled at her as he passed. Then he turned to the speaker and his cold smile froze further.

"_Sshakhta_," He snarled and stalked past the longer haired man.

The man's dark eyebrows rose and when they were alone, she shivered at his expression.

He walked closer to her. "_My yessshche posssmotrim_," he murmured confidently. Her heart froze as he grew closer. "_Ssshakhta_," he mocked gently and reached out to touch her face.

"Please, don't touch me," Bella breathed hoarsely, fearing the hand, fearing him.

"I think I mussst, pretty." The hissing voice was heavily accented.

With all of her collective strength, she threw herself up and jabbed her elbow up to smash into his face. She hit her mark and then took off running. She could hear a sliding, whispering sound and knew he was following. She thought he might be catching up to her. She saw a light and continued to run to it, bumping into the walls she couldn't see. She could see the strength of the light just around the corner. She was so close. Her head pounded with her heard and feet, but she had enough to get her there. She added a little bit of extra speed and felt a hand wrap into her hair, yanking her back.

Hanging off of the hand, her scalp screamed. She opened her mouth to vocalize the pain when she was wrenched against the cave wall and a cool mouth thrust onto hers. Tiny whimpers were emitting from her, but it was the most sound she could manage as she struggled. She was going to be raped, or worse, she knew as she felt the hand not restraining her start to wander from her throat to her body.

She closed her eyes and felt the tears stream down her face. She hoped Edward never found her, never found her like this.

_But I want to be rescued_! Her mind shouted. She imagined his reaction to finding her. What would he do? Would these things kill him? Teeth clamped onto her bottom lip and her hysteria rose. They let go and he started to kiss her again. Her mouth was bruising she could feel it. And her scalp was burning. Despite all of the pain and all of the fear a tiny part of her body was starting to respond to the ministrations and that was when she tried again to fight back. A fist slammed into her eye. Stars spun.

Then, the heavy body was torn away from hers and she slumped to the ground, cradling her head. She could see the two dark figures struggling and recognized the other as Nicolai. She tamped down the hope that he would save her. He was after all, one of those things too. She watched in a dazed state as Nicolai finally threw the other's body against a wall and the sickening crack caused an instant release of tension in the long haired man's body.

Nicolai turned to her.

"Are you hurt, _malyutka_?" Bella wished she could understand whatever language they were speaking in.

She said nothing and scrambled backward into the wall when he approached. His shoulders dropped and he shrugged as though he didn't care that she was afraid of him. "Come then, Ssumeir will ssee you."

Standing on shaky legs, she glanced back at the crumpled form and resolutely followed Nicolai into the light.

**A/N:** So it's been a little while, but I hope you liked the chapter! Reviews are highly encouraged, they definitely motivate me in lots of good ways, so feel free to leave a comment telling me what you thought! Thanks for reading!


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